Camping at HICKS LAKE and CYPRIOT Potatoes

 A pretty lake, sunny weather, and almost no mosquitoes – we were pretty much in Camping Heaven this past weekend.

All tuckered out after a long hike . . .

But the sun filtered through the tall trees 

and a Happy Hour selection of wine and beer hit the table  

 Accompanied by snacks . . .   Mexican Pepperoni and . . .

Cypriot  Antinasso Potatoes

        From Lindsay Bareham’s IN PRAISE of the POTATO

2 lbs small, new potatoes

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup dry red wine

2 tsp ground coriander

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

*Wash and dry the potatoes. 

*Cut the larger ones in half.

*Heat oil in large frying pan over high heat.

*Stir fry for 10 minutes over high heat until browned.

*Remove potatoes from pan.

*Turn heat down to minimum.

*Drain off most of the oil, leaving about a tablespoon.

*Return potatoes to pan, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and coriander.

*Add wine and stir.

*Cover and cook for about 5 minutes until all the wine is gone.

*Turn off heat but leave pan on element for 5 to 10 more minutes until potatoes are tender.

*You serve them at room temperature so they’re great for camping.  Just make them ahead and pop them into your cooler.  J

Hot Dogs at day’s end

and Hot Chocolate before bed.

Ahh, Summer!

My Dad

When company came, Mom always had to do most of the entertaining.  With his twinkling eyes and smile, though, Dad made people feel welcome, too.

Another thing he did when we were kids was make us feel important.   At a wedding, he would beckon us over, put an arm around us, and say proudly, “These ones are mine.”

Once, when we were in town, a friend told me to ask Dad for a dime so we could share a bag of potato chips.  I didn’t want to do it, but Dad gave us a quarter!

If you asked to see a barn kitten, look what happened J

Mom said that when I was coming home from Ottawa on the train, Dad wouldn’t let anyone else go to the station in St. Lazare to meet me.  There he was at 2 or 3 am.  I kissed his leathery cheek and we drove home in companionable silence.

*******

Here’s a spicy recipe I’m sure my Dad would have liked.   

PORK CHOPS with a SAVORY TOMATO SAUCE

            Thank you to Eileen Larson of Saskatoon for sharing this recipe.

8 oz mushrooms

2 small to medium onions  (this will look like a lot but it cooks down)

4 slices bacon

5 to 6 lean pork chops

1 tbsp canola oil

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp flour

1 ½ tbsp. paprika

1 cup boiling water (or vegetable broth)

1 bouillon cube

½ cup cream

2 tbsp ketchup

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp cayenne

Salt to taste

·        Slice mushrooms and set aside.

·        Chop onions and set aside. 

·        Cut bacon into small pieces and set aside.

·        Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

·        Heat oil over high heat in large frying pan.  Add pork chops in a single layer and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Brown on both sides.  Take pan off heat and transfer pork chops to a large  (at least 13x9) baking dish.

·        Distribute mushrooms over the pork chops.

·        Lower heat.  Add onion and bacon to frying pan.  Fry slowly for 10 minutes.

·        Sprinkle with paprika and flour.

·        Add cream and bouillon gradually, stirring until smooth.

·        Simmer for 5 minutes.

·        Stir in catsup, ¼ tsp cayenne, and ¼ tsp pepper.  

·        Pour over chops and mushrooms.

·        Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

*Serve with a green vegetable as the sauce is quite reddish.

DENTON, Texas

Denton is a university town with lots of fun antique stores,

a great ice cream parlor across from the Courthouse,

and a wonderful used bookstore called RECYCLED BOOKS.

The Motel 6 has surprisingly nice rooms . . .

and a great pool.

What I enjoyed most about Denton, however, was meeting some of James’ family.

PawPaw David with Kepler 

 

Nana Fran and Kepler

*************

 I've only been home for a few days but already I'm feeling nostalgic so I'm feeling like doing some Tex-Mex cooking. 

My immediate reaction when I see recipes that involve making little meat pastries is, ‘That looks yummy but way too much work and the pastry would probably end up tough.’ 

But it turns out, the pastry was a cinch!  And delicious!  So I decided I had to type up the recipe because I really liked the technique for putting the empanadas together.  Instead of pinching the dough edges together, you pull the bottom edge up and over.  This holds in the filling so much better!

(The filling was good, too, but took a lot time to prepare and there was double the amount needed for 8 empanadas.   The good thing about that is that I making another batch of empanadas and freezing them.  The next time I make empanadas, however, I will make a different filling so I didn’t type up the Hello filling recipe.)   

CINCO de MAYO EMPANADAS 

        From HELLO MAGAZINE;  April 7, 2014

Dough:

1 ¼ cups flour

one-half tsp salt  

½ cup lard (4 oz)

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp cold water

·        Put flour and salt into food processor.  Pulse to mix.

·        Add lard.  Pulse to mix well.

·        Turn mixture into a bowl.

·        In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk, vinegar, and water.

·        Stir into flour with a fork. 

·        Turn dough out onto counter and knead into a smooth ball.

·        Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

·        Roll each piece into a ball in your hands and flatten with the palm of your hand.

·        With rolling pin, roll pieces dough out on counter into 6 inch circles.

·        Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

·        Prepare egg wash by beating another egg yolk with a tablespoon of water.

·       Brush one of the dough circles all around the edge with egg wash.

·        Place a large spoonful of filling inside the circle.

·      Fold one side of the dough (A) over the filling so that it is about a half inch away from the other edge.

·        Pull the other edge of the dough up over the filling and over the dough.

·        Tuck it down a bit to seal but you don’t have to pinch or anything.

·        Transfer to baking sheet and make the other empanadas.

·        Brush the tops with egg wash.

·        Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.

*To reheat, place in 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve 2 per person with a salad on the side.

Fun in FREDERICKSBURG, Texas

 Quaint Fredericksburg was built by German settlers about 1870.  The larger old houses now are B&B’s and the small ones can be reserved like hotel rooms by the tourists who flock to the little town.

 We were just about a block from downtown in “Liedchin”, our little home away from home.

The wineries just outside the town are a major attraction so, at the pubs we made a point of sampling the local wines.

Kepler was more interested in the window blinds.

 Of course, Fredericksburg is also a great place to drink beer and enjoy platters of German sausages and sauerkraut.  We got there early,  but the patio filled up soon after.

At night, Kepler was into the live music at the pubs.  Here we are at Hondo's.

We spent a very pleasant day visiting some of the wineries. 

There was live music and we enjoyed drifting about the lawns with our wine glasses.

Once again, Kepler headed for the dance floor

where he got rounded up!

Yee Haw, Fredericksburg!

Dallas Departure, Sarah Bird . . . and CHEESY JALAPENO HAMBURGER BUNS

I’ve just come home after a month in Texas (more about that in my next posts). 

Nicole gave me a book by a gal from Austin to help while away yesterday’s long travel day.

I just have to share a couple of things from the book.   

The main character struck a chord with me when she commented,  Luckily, years of membership in high-minded book clubs have stupefied the ladies into believing that boring means good.

 Sarah's book won't be on the agenda in that type of book club.

I also enjoyed this remark by another character:  Friends.  Our friends exasperate us.  They annoy us.  They compete with us.  They gossip about us.  We gossip about them.  But we wouldn’t be who we are without them.

******

Now, here’s a super Texas-style recipe Nicole discovered on someone’s blog. 

CHEESE JALAPENO HAMBURGER BUNS  (or sandwich buns)

6 oz cubed cheddar

1 jalapeno:  remove seeds and mince

1 cup lukewarm water

1 tbsp sugar

1 pkg yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp)

1 egg

¾ tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

about 3 cups flour (I used 2 and two-thirds cups:  dough should be a bit sticky.  If you put in too much flour, the buns will be too heavy.)

·        Cube cheese and mince jalapeno.  Set aside.

·        Set oven to 350 and preheat for just one minute.  Turn off oven.  Now it’s a warm place to let your bread rise.

·        Dissolve sugar in lukewarm water.  Sprinkle on yeast and let sit for 5 minutes.

·        Beat egg with salt and oil in large bowl.  Add cheese and jalapeno.

·        Add softened yeast and water.

·        Stir in 2 cups flour.

·        Turn onto floured surface and knead, adding in just enough flour to make a dough that is only just a bit sticky.

·        Place dough in a large, greased bowl.

·        Cover with a tea towel and let rise for an hour to an hour and a half until the dough has doubled.

·        Grease a 9x9 baking pan or a 13x9.  (I used a 13x9 and the buns spread out which is fine if you want very round buns.  If you want higher buns, use the smaller pan.)

·        Gently deflate risen dough and shape into 6 to 8 buns.  (I made 6.)

·        Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

·        Preheat oven to 350.

·        Brush buns with an egg wash, if you want – beat an egg with 2 tbsp cold water.  (I didn’t bother with an egg wash.)

·        Bake 25 to 30 minutes.  (Mine were done in 25)

Cousin Verna

Today I am remembering my cousin, Verna, who passed away on April 30.  Whenever I think of Verna, I am immediately back on the farm in Manitoba.  A car has driven into the yard and it’s wonderful to see the bright, sunny smiles of everyone who climbs out.  There’s Verna who is good friends with my mom, there’s Verna’s jolly husband, Steve, and, hurrah . . .  I see Mike and Fred who are just a bit younger than me!

From Verna’s obituary:

Verna was born in Seech, Manitoba, to Paul and Mary Stadnyk. The family homesteaded in the Grandview area, where, at the age of 15, Verna married Steve Melnyk on Nov.21,1942.  In the spring of 1943 they built their first log home.  

I saw Verna and Steve's wedding picture once and have never forgotten it – Verna was such an incredibly young, sweet, and beautiful bride.     

From the obituary: 

Verna was proud of her Ukrainian heritage, which she carried on to her passing day. She was famous for her Ukrainian Christmas suppers which consisted of 12 meatless dishes, and her Easter basket which she took to church and had blessed. 

After Verna and Steve retired, Bryan and I had a lovely visit with them in Brandon.  The meal we were served was unforgettable!

Rest in peace, Cousin.  You will be missed and long-remembered.